Some might say a monologue slam is the perfect showcase for actors, giving them the space and the audience to show off their talent.  These acting competitions often bring the public exposure needed to take their careers to the next level.  The Movement Theatre Company (TMTC) has done just that.  Their first Monologue Slam, which took place last year, was a huge success, featuring Jonathan Hooks (currently in Theater for a New Audience's production of "King Lear") and Danielle Brooks of "Orange Is the New Black".

On Monday, April 14th at 7:30pm, 12 actors will step up to the stage to out act one another in an evening hosted by Shamika Cotton of "The Wire". StageBuddy caught up with Associate Producing Artistic Leader Taylor Reynolds of TMTC to talk about the selection process, the arc of the evening, and some raffle prizes you don't want to miss.

StageBuddy: Can you talk about the submission and selection process?

Taylor Reynolds: We posted a general submission call for Actors of Color on a few different places such as The Movement Theater Companies Facebook page, our website, One on One and Backstage.  To submit you only needed to send in a one-minute video of a monologue of your choice along with a headshot and resume. We as a team watched the videos individually, ranked them and added up the points, and asked the 12 highest actors to participate in the slam.

SB: What made a monologue stand out for you?

TR: For me it was how well they came across through the video. It can be kind of tough to get a feel for a person because you don't get the experience of seeing them come in the room, talking to them and getting to know them a bit before doing their monologue.  You just see a person talking into their phone and see them reaching to turn off their camera. So it was about finding people who could connect to me through the camera and who really connected to their characters and chose monologues that had an interesting arc and showed off different sides of their acting abilities.

SB: What will the evening of competition look like?

TR: We'll have three rounds.  The comedic monologue will be first.  Then we have a round of unpublished monologues.  [The actors] could choose their own unpublished monologues but we also created a database reaching out to over 100 playwrights that we knew and put them into a drop box and gave the actors access.  The last round is the dramatic monologue.  In between each round there will be an elimination.  We're encouraging actors to bring their friends because we have the possibility of having audience participation during the slam.

We also have a really great raffle with awesome prizes.  Tickets to one of the shows at the Woman's Project; a gift certificate to Silvana; headshot package from Yella Fella Entertainment; and a weekend stay at Aloft Harlem.  Everyone automatically gets a raffle ticket with the entrance fee.

SB: Words of encouragement to participants in the competition?

TR: Have fun.  Don't think of it as a monologue for an audition.  You're giving a one minute performance where all eyes are on you.  It's your chance to show us who you are as an actor, as a person; it's your chance to show us what you got.

(This interview has been edited and condensed.)